For those of you who need a little Christmas, and most especially those who need it right this very minute, the atmosphere over at the Marquis Theatre is already altogether sparkle-jolly-twinkle-jingley. With real snowflakes that, depending upon where you’re seated, just might alight on the very tip of your nose.
Which is to say that Elf, the 2010 Broadway musical based on the 2003 motion picture of the same title, is back in town. On its initial visit, Elf revealed itself to be a superior holiday attraction, decidedly naughty-but-nice and full of seasonal spirit. This was one of the better recent film-to-stage adaptations: bookwriters Tom Meehan (Annie) and Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone) retained the humor of the Will Ferrell movie while building a full-scale musical comedy around it, enhanced by a written-to-order score by composer Matthew Sklar and lyricist Chad Beguelin that captured the all-round zaniness.
Any production of Elf necessarily rests on the shoulder of the fellow in the oversized elf’s costume. (As those familiar with the plot are aware, Buddy the Elf is not really an elf, if there be such a thing as a real elf; rather, he’s a human raised by elves and exiled from the North Pole to midtown Manhattan.) Unlike prior Buddys we’ve seen—drama critics who stick around long enough tend to revisit plays and musicals, like it or not—Grey Henson has the soul of one of those old-fashioned musical-comedy comedians, striving for and achieving laughter on a moment-by-moment basis.
[Read Bob Verini’s ★★★★☆ review here.]
Henson is the fellow who practically stole the show from those mean girls in Mean Girls, garnering a Tony nomination in the process; prior to that he originated the role of Elder McKinley (“Turn It Off”) in the national company of The Book of Mormon. So he knows his way around broad musical comedy. His goofball Buddy seems to be absorbing new information as it appears, quickly interpreting it and instantly reacting—even in the course of one line of dialogue or four bars of music. This quicksilver approach sparks his performance and spotlights the innate cleverness of the writing.
He is supported by a capable team of players: Kayla Davion as Jovie, the romantic interest; Michael Hayden, the Billy Bigelow of the 1994 Carousel, as Buddy’s long-lost father; Ashley Brown, Broadway’s original Mary Poppins, as the hero’s step-mother; and a suitably jolly Sean Astin as Santa and in this production doubling as publisher Greenaway, which gives him a chance to dance on the conference room table. (Personal note: I last saw Astin when he was 2, stranded in a limo with him for an hour in traffic on the Major Deegan Expressway while escorting his tv-star parents to a talk show interview. He seems significantly cheerier in his Santa suit, and taller.)
Very much contributing to the fun are supporting players Jennifer Sánchez, as the dipsomaniac secretary who teaches Buddy to make snow; Kalen Allen, as the store manager who sparks two musical numbers, one in each act; and Kai Edgar, a highly capable child actor who holds his own against the clowning of Henson.
This production originated in the U.K., playing multiple holiday engagements in London. Director Philip Wm. McKinley—who made a Broadway splash with Hugh Jackman in The Boy from Oz but has been absent locally since replacing Julie Taymor on Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark—does a capable job, with properly frenetic and often humorous choreography by Liam Steel (a visiting Brit who made his Broadway debut with the recent Company). Tim Goodchild’s scenery is modest by Broadway standards, apparently geared towards touring but perfectly functional. (We have seen more than one musical of late which apparently spent far more time and energy on scenery than content.) Goodchild’s costumes are fine, with humorous touches in Christmastown.
Behind it all is the unseen (and uncredited) presence of the original director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw. The constant barrage of jokes from librettists and lyricist laced with inventive production numbers is not dissimilar to the fast-paced progression of The Book of Mormon, which Nicholaw was creating simultaneously. His influence can also be seen in the music department, with Doug Besterman’s heavy-on-holiday-cheer orchestrations (here under the baton of Nate Patten) and a vibrant set of dance arrangements by David Chase. These were devised to match Nicholaw’s choreography, step-by-step. There are no less than four big and joyous production numbers: “Happy All the Time” (a revised version of the original opening number), “Sparklejollytwinklejingley,” “Nobody Cares About Santa” and the skillfully contrived “Story of Buddy the Elf.” All of them are winners, on the stage of the Marquis.
Cutting edge talent? No. Provocatively edgy internet-era entertainment? No, again. But for subversively funny delight, suitable for knowing adult and innocent child alike, Elf on Broadway makes a perfect stocking-stuffer.
Elf opened November 17, 2024, at the Marquis Theatre and runs through January 4. Tickets and information: elfonbroadway.com
